Chapter 180: A Taste of Real Combat
In the Uchiha Akira residence's backyard, the atmosphere was completely different from the usual, fundamentals-focused training.
It was tense.
Naruto and Hinata stood side by side, both looking a little nervous. Their usual training gear felt stiffer, their muscles tighter.
Opposite them stood a young man Naruto had never seen before. He was an Uchiha Clan member, obvious from the crest on the back of his high-collared blue shirt. He looked quite young, about fifteen or sixteen years old, with the standard Uchiha black hair and a calm, almost cold, expression.
He carried the standard tantō of the Konoha Military Police Force on his back.
"Let me introduce you," Uchiha Akira's voice rang out from the side, where he stood watching, hands clasped behind his back.
"This is Uchiha Yuichi. He is an elite Genin from the Konohagakure Keimurei Butai (Konoha Military Police Force), and he possesses extensive practical experience. He has successfully completed over one hundred missions."
Akira's gaze settled on his two students. "From today onwards, he will be in charge of your practical combat training."
"An elite... Genin?" Naruto scratched his head, his brow furrowing in puzzlement.
A Genin? he thought, his competitive spirit flaring.
He and Hinata had faced down Orochimaru's forces. They had fought Gaara of the Sand. They had been training under the Hokage himself.
Although Teacher says he's experienced, Naruto mused, he's still just a Genin, right? My strength, and Hinata-chan's, has long since become formidable. We're way past the Genin level by now, believe it!
Uchiha Akira saw through Naruto's arrogant, dismissive thoughts at a glance, but he didn't expose them. A small, cold smirk touched his lips. This lesson was necessary.
"Yuichi," Akira said, his voice flat. "Don't hold back. Let them understand the difference between a real battle and the controlled practice on the training ground."
"Yes, Hokage-sama," Uchiha Yuichi responded respectfully. He bowed to Akira, then turned his gaze to Naruto and Hinata.
His eyes, which had been calm and respectful, instantly became sharp, cold, and professional. The transition was jarring.
He slowly raised his hands and formed the Taiketsu no In (Seal of Confrontation).
[Inorin's Note: The Taiketsu no In (Seal of Confrontation) is the traditional hand seal (a one-handed half-Ram) used to signify the formal start of a duel.]
"Well then," Yuichi's voice was devoid of emotion. "Begin."
As soon as his voice fell, Naruto, eager to prove his superiority, exploded into action.
"Taju Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" (Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu!)
Bang, bang, bang, bang!
In an instant, the entire training ground was flooded with smoke. Dozens of identical Narutos burst out, surrounding Uchiha Yuichi from all directions. The sheer momentum and noise were overwhelming.
"Haaa! Let's see you handle this!" the clones shouted in unison.
"Oh? A good number," Uchiha Yuichi's tone was completely, unnervingly calm.
He didn't move. He simply looked.
In his eye sockets, a hint of crimson quietly appeared. His 1-tomoe Sharingan slowly rotated, the single black comma contrasting starkly with the red.
Under the Sharingan's insight, the chaotic movements of dozens of Shadow Clones became perfectly clear. He could see the sloppy chakra signatures, the minute differences in their posture. He could see the real one, hanging back, a slightly darker chakra pulsing from him.
"Too slow."
Uchiha Yuichi's figure instantly vanished from his original spot, moving with a speed that defied his rank.
"What?" A Naruto clone at the very front hadn't even reacted. He was still in his forward rush.
He felt a sharp, precise pain in his abdomen—not a punch, but a rigid atemi (body strike) from Yuichi's knuckles. With a "bang," he turned into white smoke.
Immediately after, Uchiha Yuichi's figure weaved among the dozens of Shadow Clones like a phantom.
He was a blur of blue and white. His movements weren't flashy. They were short, brutal, and efficient.
Bang! (A strike to the back of a clone's neck).
Bang! (An elbow to a clone's ribs).
Bang! Bang! (A sweeping kick that took out two at once).
The Shadow Clones exploded one after another, turning into puffs of white smoke. They were a mob. He was a scalpel. They were unable to even touch the hem of Yuichi's clothes.
"Damn it!" Naruto's main body, hidden among the clones, was greatly shocked by this sight.
This guy... This guy named Yuichi is so fast! And he can see through all my attacks! It's like he knows where I'm going to be before I do!
"Hinata-chan!" Naruto shouted, his voice strained. "Now!"
Hinata had not been idle. She had already activated her Byakugan the moment the match began. Her world was a 360-degree, monochrome x-ray, and she had been looking for an opportunity to attack.
She saw the tangled web of Naruto's clones, and she saw the calm, steady chakra network of Yuichi, moving flawlessly between them.
She seized the brief, half-second opening when Yuichi defeated a clone, his back exposed.
She pushed off with her feet, her movement silent, and moved in close, a perfect textbook approach.
"Jūken!" (Gentle Fist!)
Her palm, enveloped in a sheath of light blue chakra, was aimed directly for Yuichi's tenketsu (chakra point) on his back—a minor point on his spine, but one that would paralyze his entire left arm.
Just as Hinata's fingertips were about to make contact...
Uchiha Yuichi, who had not turned around, seemed to have eyes in the back of his head.
His Sharingan had caught the minute tensing of her muscles, the sudden surge of chakra to her feet before she had even moved.
His body twisted at an incredible, almost unnatural angle. He didn't dodge. He rotated.
Hinata's attack brushed harmlessly past his uniform.
At the same time, he delivered a precise, cold hand chop—not to her body, but to her attacking wrist.
"Ugh!" Hinata cried out in pain. The atemi strike hit her tenketsu perfectly. Her chakra instantly dissipated, and her entire arm went numb. She staggered backward, clutching her wrist, her eyes wide with shock.
"Good taijutsu," Yuichi's voice rang out, still cold. "But your killing intent is too weak. You telegraphed your attack."
"In a real battle, hesitation equals death. You waited for your teammate. You should have attacked with him."
Just then, Naruto, seeing his opening, seized his chance.
"Fūton: Daitoppa!" (Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!)
[Inorin's Note: Fūton: Daitoppa is a C-rank ninjutsu where the user creates a powerful, straightforward gust of wind.]
Naruto formed the hand signs, puffed out his cheeks, and suddenly exhaled a violent, roaring blast of wind, sweeping towards Yuichi.
The wind howled, kicking up a massive cloud of dust and fallen leaves, obscuring the entire battlefield.
"Naive."
The dust meant nothing to the Sharingan. It clearly captured the location of Naruto's main body, the chakra gathering in his lungs behind the gust of wind.
Yuichi's speed suddenly increased. He didn't try to block the wind. He moved through it.
He instantly passed through the range of the Wind Release, the gust tearing harmlessly at his clothes, and appeared directly in front of Naruto.
Naruto's pupils sharply constricted. He was still exhaling. He only saw a fist growing larger and larger in his vision.
Bang!
With a dull, sickening thud, Yuichi's fist connected with Naruto's solar plexus. The punch had just enough force to empty his lungs and not break his ribs.
Naruto flew backward like a broken kite, his eyes wide with shock, and crashed heavily to the ground, skidding several meters.
He lay there, unable to get up, the wind knocked out of him, gasping for air like a fish.
The battle ended in just under one minute.
The dust settled.
Naruto and Hinata lay on the ground, gasping for air, covered in dust and humiliation.
Is this... the difference? Hinata thought, her arm still throbbing. He... he's just a Genin...
Uchiha Akira slowly walked over, his shadow falling over his two dejected, defeated disciples.
"Do you understand now?" his voice was cold, academic.
"Battles between shinobi are not about who has more chakra, or whose ninjutsu is more powerful. Experience, skill, timing, and most importantly, mindset, are all indispensable."
He looked down at them. "Your chakra control and your ninjutsu release have, indeed, reached the Genin level. But your combat awareness... your instincts... are still stuck in the Ninja Academy's 'playing house' stage."
Naruto, his breath finally returning, struggled to sit up from the ground. He rubbed his aching stomach and said defiantly, "But, Teacher... his eyes! They're... they're too unfair! He can see through all my moves! It's a cheat!"
"The Sharingan is indeed powerful," Akira said, "but that is not an excuse for your failure."
Akira shook his head.
"He only used a 1-tomoe Sharingan, the weakest, most basic form. It can only perceive basic chakra flow and track basic dynamic vision."
"The reason he could easily defeat you is not because he predicted your moves. It is because he has accumulated the combat instincts from over a hundred missions. He read you. He saw your sloppy footwork. He saw Hinata's hesitation. He saw your reckless charge with the Wind Release."
"You are not fighting a student. You are fighting a professional. That is the difference you must overcome."
In a flash, time passed.
The Konoha Ninja Academy once again welcomed a new round of practical combat trials.
The training ground was bustling with people, and the atmosphere was even more enthusiastic than last time. Since Naruto and Sasuke's explosive fight, and with the new Hokage's emphasis on results, the practical combat trials had now become the most anticipated event at the Academy.
"Alright, quiet down everyone!"
Iruka-sensei stood on the high platform, his voice booming with authority. "We will now begin drawing lots to determine your opponents for the first round!"
The students immediately lined up, buzzing with nervous energy. They went forward one by one to draw their numbers from a wooden box.
Naruto, his face set with a new determination from his spar with Yuichi, casually drew one. He opened the small, folded paper and saw "Number Seven" written on it.
Soon, the battle roster was displayed on the large screen.
"Oh, wow," Shikamaru yawned, his hands behind his head. "Mendokusē... the first match is an interesting one."
The opponents for the first match were none other than—
Uzumaki Naruto VS. Inuzuka Kiba.
"Hah!"
As soon as Inuzuka Kiba heard that his opponent was Naruto, a wild, sharp-toothed grin immediately spread across his face.
Akamaru, his small white dog, perched on his head, also barked, appearing equally excited.
"Hey, Naruto," Kiba called out, his voice a loud, arrogant drawl.
"Don't think just because you beat that Uchiha show-off, Sasuke, that you can act all high-and-mighty in front of me. You just got lucky!"
Naruto's eyes narrowed. He smirked.
"Kiba," Naruto retorted, his voice just as loud. "You still like to bark so much. Just like your dog."
"But it's fine," Naruto continued, pointing a finger directly at Kiba. "I've wanted to beat you up for a long, long time."
"Now that you've drawn me, get ready for a beating!"
Inuzuka Kiba's face instantly darkened, his feral features twisting in anger.
"Damn it!" he snarled.
"You bastard... what are you being arrogant about!"
"If it weren't for Hokage-sama taking pity on you, you'd still be the dead last! You're nothing!"
Iruka hopelessly rubbed his forehead. "That's enough, you two!"
He raised his hand. "Both sides, to the center! Prepare for the match!"
Naruto and Kiba stalked to the center of the ring, glaring at each other.
"The match... BEGIN!"
As soon as Iruka's voice fell, Inuzuka Kiba had already darted out like a leopard. He dropped to all fours, his fingernails lengthening, moving with extreme, feral speed.
"Gijū Ninpō: Shikyaku no Jutsu!" (Beastly Ninja Art: Four-Legged Technique!)
"Akamaru!"
"Woof!"
The man and dog, working in perfect, seamless sync, converged on Naruto from two different directions.
"Jūjin Bunshin!" (Beast Human Clone!)
[Inorin's Note: Jūjin Bunshin is an advanced Inuzuka clan technique where the animal partner transforms into a perfect, fighting replica of the master.]
Bang!
A puff of smoke exploded. Akamaru's form shifted and grew, and in an instant, he transformed into a second "Kiba," identical to Inuzuka Kiba in every way.
Both "Kibas" had fierce, predatory glints in their eyes, and their speed increased again as they lunged for Naruto.
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